Pipe tong



Jan. l5,y 1946. c. A. LuNDEr-:N 2,392,93l

PIPE Toner 'Filed June 10,1944 2 sheetysheet 1 Jan. 15, 19.46. c. A. LUNDEN PIPE TONG Filed June l0, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 15, 1946 Chester A. Lundeen, Los Angeles, Ca1if., as signor toByron .Iaclisim Co., Vernon, Calif., a copof ration'ofDelaware sanitation iene, ,19, 1944, serai No. Stessa 1 gaies- This invention relates generally topipeJ tongs, and particularly to tongsy for use in nfialingv up and breaking joints in drill pipe, well casting and the like.

A principal object of this inventionis toprovide a tong having an exceedingly, wide range of adjustment such as will permit its use on the, f ull range of sizes of drill pipe ,and well casing most commonly used.

A further object is to provide a tong( of the iuregoing character which consists of the minimum number of jaws, and which isadjuSiable in size over` a wide range withouttheuse ofestrajaws.

A still further object is to provide a wide range tous which engages the pipe. at a. plurality of points uniformly distributed aboutthe periphery of the pipe, to thereby uniformly distribute the radial pressure on the pipe and hence to avoid crimping it.

A stm further object is to provide a wide range from the foregoing detailed description of one 3 embodiment of the invention, reference being-had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a tong embodying the invention, adjusted to lit a pipe ofrelatively small diameter.;

3 Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line Il-lli-of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the tongof Fig. 1 adjusted to accommodate a relatively large dia'ine eter pipe;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line; Ill-T117- of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional View takenonline V-lof Fig. 3'.

Referring to Fig. 1 of lthe drawings, aprefejrred 45 embodiment of my improved tong compris 4 pair of opposed jaws, generally designatedl and 2, each pivotally connected atv one end thereof to a lever 3 and provided with releasable latch means,

generally designated ,4,v at their `opposite-fends. 5.0

The inner ends of the jaWs are'pivotallyoonf. nected to thefleverbypivot pins and 6,"whifc'h are spaced apart longitudinally ofthe lever so: that as the lever is swung in a yclockWise direction the jaws 'are eenstricted about the' pipjegano 'are re- 5e (o1. silcel leased therefrom by swinging the leverrin the` opposite direction. o

In order to vary the. size of the pipe-receiving recess between the jaws over a wide range,v each jaw. comprises two relatively adjustable sections adapted'to berigidly secured togetherin any one of a plurality ofv adj-usted positions. Thus, the jaw` I comprises an inner section I pivotally connected to the lever 3'by the pivot pin ,and an outer section 8 vadjustalolyv mounted on the inner section. An inner, pipe-engaging face 9 is formed on the jaw section l, and a similar pipe-engaging face Iii. is provided on the jaw section 8. It will be observed that thesefaces are disposed at an angle to each other to provide a substantially V- shaped recess, cooperating with a similar` V- shaped recess in the opposed jaw 2 to denne the pipe recess.

The pipeengaging faces Q and It! are preferably disposed at an angle of approximately 9,0 to each other, although it will be understood that thisangle may be varied considerably, However, it will be apparent that with two opposed vshaped jaws, each having a pair of pipe-engaging faces disposed at an angle of approximately` to each other, the four pipe-contacting peints are substantially evenly distributed at approx;imatelyl 99 intervals about the nerinhelo'V 0f the pipe..` Furthermore, this uniform distribution of contact points may vbe maintained throughout the full range of adjustment of the jaws by adjusting each of the outer jaw sections relative to the inner jaw sections into different parallel positions to maintain'the 99 angular relation ofthe 5 pipe-engaging faces.

The adjustment of the jaw section 8 relative to the jaw section 'I may be accomplished in vari-l ous ways. A simple and compact construction is, however, provided byarranging the jaw sections in telescoping relation, Vso thatthe overall size of thetong is reduced as the size of the pipe recess is reduced. To this end,`one of the jaw sections, preferably thevinner Asectionv 1, is provided with an elongated recessfdenedbythe upper andV lower bosses vIVI and I2 (Fig-4.2). The outer jaw section ti includes amale boss or projectionflt which isv received within the recessfbetween the bosses II and i2, and'which is ad'apted to be rigidly secured to the lb ossesll and I2 in any one of 'several' rectilinearly "spaced positions. As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, the male projection I3 is provided with a longitudinal series of equally female projections II and I2 are provided with adapted to be disposed in registering alignment with a pair of the bores in the male projection I3. In the embodiment illustrated, the bores in the female bosses are spaced apart a distance equal to twice the distance between the bores in the male projection, but it will be apparent that they may be suitab-ly spaced so as to align with any pair of bores inthe male projection.

The jaws A1 `and Bare rigidly secured together in any one of several (herein four) different posi-V tions 'by inserting a pair of pins 24 and 25 in the registering lbores. In Fig. l, the pins engage the bores- I4 and I6 in the male projection to secure the jaw sections in fully collapsed relation, while in Fig.'3 the pins engage the bores I1 and I9 to secure the sections in their maximum extended relation. It is obvious that two intermediate adjustments are afforded by aligning the bores 20 and 2l in the jaw section II either with bores I5 and I1 or with bores I6 and I8 in the male projection I3. f

The jaw 2 comprises an inner jaw section 21 pivotally connectedto Vthe lever 3 by the pivot pin 5, and an outer jaw section 28 which is adjustably mounted on the inner jaw section 21 in the same manner as previously described with reference tothe jaw sections 1 and B. Inasmuch as the manner in which Vthe jaw sections 21 and 28 are adapted to be rigidly secured together in any one of several different adjusted positions is substantially identical with that employed in the jaw I, it is not deemed necessary to repeat the detailed description thereof. ItY will Vsuffice to state that the number of bores in the jaw sections 21 and V28, and the relative spacing thereof, are preferably the same as in the corresponding jaw sections 1 and 8.

The latch means 4 is preferably of well-known construction, and comprises a latch member 3l! pivotally mounted on the outer section 8 of the jaw I, and having a latching surface 3i adapted to selectively engage a cooperating latching surface on any one of three latch lugs 32, 33 and 34. The latch is self-closing, being urged toward latching position by a spring 35. The provision of a multiple-step latch of this character, in conjunction wi'th the spreading and constricting movements of the inner ends of the jaws by swinging ofthe lever 3, enables the tong to be fitted `to all intermediate pipe sizes lying between the limits of each adjustment of the extensible jaw sections.

In a two-jaw tong with opposed V-shaped pipereceiving recesses in the inner faces of the jaws, it is essential that the jaws-be maintained in proper relative positions in ordery to obtain 4- point contact with the pipe. Because ofthe spacedV pivotal connections between the jaws and the lever, this proper disposition off'the jaws relative to each other cannot be maintained in all angular positions of the lever if both jaws are connected to the lever on fixed pivots. In order to overcome this objection, I have provided a self-adjusting movable pivotal connection between one jaw and the lever. Referring to Figs. l, 3 and 5 of the drawings, it will be observed that whereas. the pivot` pin 5 extends through aligned'bores inthe jaw 2 and the lever 3, the pivot pin 6 is journaled in a block 33 which is mounted for limited sliding movement longitudinally of the lever in a slot 31 in the lever. The length of the slot exceeds that of the block by aseaesi position to the other. By this arrangement, the jaws are permitted to adjust themselves to the contour of the pipe and to contact it at all four points. l

From the foregoing description of one embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that I have provided a pipe tong having an exceedingly wide range of adjustment without the addition or substitution of other jaws.' By the provision of extensible jaw sections, the angular relationship between the pipe-engaging faces of ,each jaw is maintained the same in all positions of adjustment, and hence the distribution of the contact points around the periphery of the pipe is maintained uniform for all pipe sizes. Furthermore, the construction is relatively simple for such a wide range of adjustment, and the tong is, therefore, easy to manipulate as well as being economical to make and to maintain in working order. d

Although I have described in detaildone specific embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a pipe tong, a lever, a pair of jaw members pivotally connected to the lever Vat spaced points thereon, eachljaw member comprising an inner section pivotally connected to the lever and an outer section adjustably connected to the inner section, the respective sections of each jaw member having angularly disposed pipe-engaging surfaces cooperating to denne a substantially V-shaped recess, and the recesses .being opposed to each other to define a pipe-receiving opening, means for rigidly securing the outer section of each jaw member to its respective inner section in any one of a plurality 'of positions to vary the size of the V-shaped recess, and latch means for releasablysecuring the outer sections of the jaw members together about a pipe. 1

2. A pipe tong as set forth in clairn l, wherein said latch means includes a latch member connected to one of said outer sections and a plurality of spaced latching surfaces on the other outer section and adapted to be selectively engaged by said latch' member te releasably conneetk said outer sections together in different spaced relation.

3. In a pipe tong, a lever, a pair Vof opposed jaw members pivotally connected at one end to said lever at spaced points thereon, latch means for releasably securing the free ends of said jaw members together, each jaw member comprising a rstsection connected to the lever and a sec- Dnd sectionV associated with said latch means, a

an amount sufficient to compensate for any tend- I pipe-engaging surface on one section and a'pipeengaging surface on the other section angularly disposed with respect to the first-named surface to form a substantially V-shaped recess facing the other jaw member, said sections being bodily adjustable relative to each other in a direction transverse to the median plane of the Vshaped recess, and means for rigidly securing the sections together in any one of a plurality of ad justed positions.v

4. A pipe tong as set forth in claim 3, and including means forslidably and pivotally connecting one of said jaw members to said lever.

5. A pipe tong as set forth in claim '3, vand including an element mounted on saidlever -for movement toward and awayfrom the pointof piv`` otal connection of one of said jaw members with said lever, and means pivotally connecting the other jaw member to said element.

6. In a pipe tong, a lever, a pair of opposed jaw members pivotally connected at one end to the lever at spaced points thereon, each jaw member having a pair of angularly disposed pipe-contactin?,r surfaces dening a substantially V-shaped recess, said recesses facing each other and cooperating to define a pipe-receiving opening, each jaw member comprising a pair of separable sections each including one of said pair of angularly disposed pipe-contacting surfaces, said sections being adjustable relative to each other in a direction transverse to the median plane of the V-shaped recess to vary the size of the recess, means for rigidly securing the sections together in any one of a plurality of adjusted positions, and means for releasably latching the free ends of the jaw members together about a pipe.

'7. A pipe tong comprising a lever, a pair of opposed jaw members pivotally connected to the lever at spaced points thereon, each jaw member having a pair of angularly disposed pipe-contacting surfaces dening a substantially V-shaped recess, s-aid recesses facing each other and cooperating to define a pipe-receiving opening, each jaw member comprising a pair of separable sections each including one of said pair of angularly disposed pipe-contacting surfaces, one of said sections including a pair of spaced projections and the other including a male projection disposed in telescopic relation to the spaced projections, means for rigidly securing said projections together in diierent relative positions, and means for releasably latching the free ends of said jaw members together about a pipe.

8. A pipe tong as set forth in claim 7, wherein said means for securing said projections together comprises pin members adapted to be inserted in aligned bores in said projections.

9. A pipe tong as set forthin claim 7, wherein said male projection includes a plurality of spaced bores and said spaced projections include a pair of spaced bores adapted to be aligned with a selected pair of bores in said male projection, said means for securing said projections together comprising pin members adapted to be inserted in the aligned bores.

10. A multi-size pipe tong comprising a lever, a pair of opposed jaw members cooperating to dene a pipe-receiving opening, means pivotally connecting one end of each of said jaw members to said lever at spaced points thereon whereby swinging of said lever varies the size of said pipe opening in one direction, said jaw members each comprising a pair of separable sections extensible in a direction transverse to said first-named direction to vary the size of said pipe opening in said transverse direction, means for rigidly securing the sections of each of said jaw members together in different relatively extended positions, and latch means on the opposite side of said pipe opening from said lever and including means for latching the free ends of said jaw members together selectively in different positions spaced apart in a direction substantially parallel to said first-named direction, whereby said latch means supplements movement of said lever in varying the size of the pipe opening in said rst-named direction.

CHESTER A. LUNDEEN. 

